--- uid: ai.cli-agents description: "Use Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, Kiro, Cursor CLI or OpenCode as the AI provider behind Intent Architect's chat, over the Agent Client Protocol (ACP)." --- # CLI Agents as AI Providers Intent Architect can use a CLI coding agent you already have as the AI harness behind its chat. The agent runs locally under your own subscription and sign-in, and Intent Architect talks to it over the [Agent Client Protocol (ACP)](https://agentclientprotocol.com/), supplying its designers, Software Factory, agents and skills as tools and context. > [!TIP] > To drive Intent Architect from your own terminal or IDE instead, see [Intent MCP Server](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/intent-mcp-server/index.md). ## Supported agents - [Claude Code](#claude-code) - [Codex](#codex) - [GitHub Copilot CLI](#github-copilot-cli) - [Kiro](#kiro) - [Cursor CLI](#cursor-cli) - [OpenCode](#opencode) Claude Code, Codex and GitHub Copilot CLI connect through an ACP adapter (the *connector*) that Intent Architect installs with npm on first use, so they also need [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download). --- ## Installing an agent Install the agent, sign in from a new terminal and check that it responds before enabling it in Intent Architect. ### Claude Code [Setup guide](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup) · Requires Node.js ```bash curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash # macOS, Linux, WSL irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex # Windows PowerShell ``` **Sign in:** run `claude` and follow the prompts. > [!NOTE] > Claude Code can also sign in with **Amazon Bedrock**: choose **3rd-party platform** > **Amazon Bedrock** at the login prompt, or run `/setup-bedrock`. Keep the Bedrock settings in `~/.claude/settings.json` rather than exporting them in your shell, as Intent Architect won't see variables exported in a terminal. See [Claude Code on Amazon Bedrock](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/amazon-bedrock). ### Codex [Setup guide](https://github.com/openai/codex) · Requires Node.js ```bash npm install -g @openai/codex ``` **Sign in:** run `codex` and choose **Sign in with ChatGPT**, or set `OPENAI_API_KEY`. ### GitHub Copilot CLI [Setup guide](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/set-up/install-copilot-cli) · Requires Node.js and a GitHub Copilot subscription ```bash npm install -g @github/copilot ``` **Sign in:** run `copilot`, then `/login`. > [!NOTE] > GitHub Copilot CLI is separate from the **GitHub Copilot** API provider, which you sign in to from the AI Providers tab. ### Kiro [Setup guide](https://kiro.dev/docs/getting-started/installation/) ```bash curl -fsSL https://cli.kiro.dev/install | bash # macOS, Linux irm 'https://cli.kiro.dev/install.ps1' | iex # Windows PowerShell ``` **Sign in:** the installer opens a browser to sign in. To sign in again, run `kiro-cli login`. ### Cursor CLI [Setup guide](https://cursor.com/docs/cli/installation) ```bash curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash # macOS, Linux, WSL irm 'https://cursor.com/install?win32=true' | iex # Windows PowerShell ``` **Sign in:** run `cursor-agent login`, or set `CURSOR_API_KEY`. ### OpenCode [Setup guide](https://opencode.ai/docs/) ```bash curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash # macOS, Linux npm install -g opencode-ai # any platform ``` **Sign in:** run `opencode auth login` and choose the model provider OpenCode should use. --- ## Enabling an agent 1. **Restart Intent Architect** - installed agents are only detected at startup. 2. Open **AI Configuration** (type `/config` in the chat) and go to **AI Providers**. 3. Check the agent's card shows **Installed**. Use its power button to enable or disable it. No credentials are entered here - sign-in is handled by the agent itself. The card's **Models** section controls which of the agent's models appear in the chat. ## Selecting an agent in the chat Choose a model under the agent's group in the chat's model picker. The first chat with Claude Code, Codex or GitHub Copilot CLI installs its connector, which can take a minute. --- ## Agent settings The **Agent settings** chip in the chat composer (or `/settings`) sets the permission mode and reasoning effort for the conversation. | Agent | Permission modes | Reasoning effort | | ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Claude Code | Ask before edits, Edit automatically, Auto, Bypass | None, Low, Medium, High, Extra High, Max | | Codex | Ask before edits, Edit automatically, Bypass | Low, Medium, High, Max | | GitHub Copilot CLI | Edit automatically, Bypass | None, Low, Medium, High | | Kiro | Ask before edits, Edit automatically, Bypass | Low, Medium, High | | Cursor CLI | Ask before edits, Edit automatically | - | | OpenCode | Ask before edits, Edit automatically, Bypass | - | - **Ask before edits** - asks for approval before editing files or running commands. - **Edit automatically** - applies changes without asking. - **Auto** - Claude Code chooses the mode for each task. - **Bypass all permissions** - runs everything without approval. Best used in a separate worktree. When approval is needed, the chat shows **Allow**, **Allow all** (switches the conversation to Bypass) or **Deny** (stops the turn). --- ## What the agent receives - Intent Architect's [agent tools](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/tooling/index.md), through an MCP server named `intent_architect_acp`. - The instructions of the selected [built-in](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/built-in-agents/index.md) or [custom](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/custom-agents/index.md) agent, plus applicable [instruction files](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/context-management/index.md#2-instruction-files). - Enabled `stdio` servers from [MCP Servers](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/integrated-ai/configuration/index.md#3-mcp-servers) that are available to **Coding**. The first time an agent is used in a repository, the chat offers to **Add** Intent Architect's built-in skills and rules to that agent's native folders (`.claude/skills`, `.github/skills`, `.kiro/steering`, etc.). Commit them to share them with your team. --- ## Advanced **Connector package** - the Claude Code, Codex and GitHub Copilot CLI cards let you pin a different connector version: untick **Use default** and edit the npm package spec. Takes effect on your next chat. **Executable override** - to use a specific executable instead of the one Intent Architect finds, set one of these environment variables to its full path before starting Intent Architect: `INTENT_CLAUDE_CODE_ACP`, `INTENT_CODEX_ACP`, `INTENT_COPILOT_ACP`, `INTENT_KIRO_ACP`, `INTENT_CURSOR_ACP`, `INTENT_OPENCODE_ACP`. --- ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Solution | | ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Card shows **Not installed** | Restart Intent Architect. Check the executable runs from a new terminal, or set the [executable override](#advanced). | | "…needs Node.js, which isn't installed" | Install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/download) and restart Intent Architect. | | "{agent} is not signed in…" | Sign in again from a terminal, then click **Retry**. The conversation isn't lost. | | "ACP agent process exited unexpectedly…" | Choose **Restart ACP host** from the conversation menu. History is kept. | The agent's error output is written to Intent Architect's agent log. Use **Open Logs Folder** on the Home screen, or `/diagnostics` in the chat to gather a bundle for [support](https://docs.intentarchitect.com/docs-md/introducing/getting-help.md).